Towel-cabinet.



R. T. PAmsEN. TOWEL CABINET.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 24. 1909.

940,7 1 '7. Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

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.5565. Inventor R. It PARISBN.

TOWEL CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED 11113.24, 1909.

Patented NOV.23,1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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@NITE sns i ROBERT T. PARISEN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOWEL-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOV. 23, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT T. PARIsEN, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful ToweLCabinet, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to thefaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-4 Figure 1 is a front elevation of a towel cabinet embodying my invention with the front and side portions of the casing removed; F ig. 2 is a side view of the same with the front and side portions of the casing removed; and Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively front and side elevations of the complete cabinet in closed position; and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views, hereinafter more fully described.

My invention has relation to towel cabinets, and is designed to rovide a convenient and attractive cabinet for holding any de sired number of towels. The towels are normally concealed within the cabinet, and means are provided whereby the dierent towels when in the cabinet are held separated, and in more or less distended or stretched positions, so that they will readily dry by reason of the circulation of air around and between them. Each towel may be separately drawn out through the bottom of the cabinet into position for use, after which it can be readily released, when it will automatically return to its concealed position within the cabinet.

The precise nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accom panying drawings, in which I have shown the preferred embodiment thereof, it being premised, however, that various changes maybe made in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the soirit and scope of my invention as defined 1n the appended claims.

ln these drawings, the numeral 2 designates the exterior casing or closure of the cabinet, which may be of any desired ornamental form. This cabinet is provided with a hinged door 3 at the front side, by means of which access to the interior is provided for the purpose of removing soiled towels and replacing them with clean ones. Mounted in the interior of the cabinet, one in front of another, are a plurality of pairs 0f vertically extending guide rods 4, these rods be ing secured at their lower ends in the brackets 5, and at their upper ends in the brackets (i. Arranged to slide vertically up and down on each pair of guide rodsis a bail-shaped bar 7, whose bent end portions S are pro Ivided with perforations through which the rods extend. Each of these bars 7 has a towel rod 9 journaled therein, as shown in detail in Fig. 6. These rods are preferably of relatively small diameters so as to provide for a maximum separation of adjacent towels. To facilitate the removal of these rods to permit the towels to be readily removed and put in place, one end of each rod is preferably formed with a neck or journal portion 10 of reduced` diameter, and the other end portion of the rod has its bearing of the full diameter of the rod, with a spring 11 secured thereto vand bearing at one end against the rod and at the other end against the end portion 8 of thegbar 7. To remove the rods they are moved to the right (looking at Fig. 6) a suiiicient distance to permit the necks or journals 10 to be disengaged vfrom their bearings in the bar 7, the springs 11 being compressed sufficiently to permit this movement, said springs normally acting to hold the rods in place.

The towels, one of which is shown at 12 in Figs. 1 and 2, are preferably doubled endless towels, the rods 9 being inserted through their upper portions in the manner shown. Connected to each of the bars 7 are cords 13, which at their upper ends are connected to and arranged to be wound upon rollers 14 which may be similar to ordinary shade rollers. One of these rollers is provided for each towel, and the series of rollers are supported on arms 15 at the upper portion of the cabinet. In the drawings I have shown six of these rollers with provision for six towels, the six rollers being arranged in two vertical series of three each. The rollers in each series are suiciently out of line withcabinet, have secured thereto spring catch arms 16, which, when the towels are drawn down as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, engage the adjacent bent end portions S of the bar 7 to prevent the towels from being drawn back into the cabinet by the action of the spring rollers 14. A short chain or cord 17 is connected to each of these spring catches, and.

passes outwardly through an aperture in one side of the casing as shown in Figs. 1 and Ll.

In order to keep the towels straight and to guide them in their upward movement, as well as to form a stopl for limiting their upward movement, I provide the series of guide rods 18 which are mounted in the arms 19 near the lower end of the cabinet and below the lower ends of the guide rods 1. One of these rods 19 passes between the two thicknesses of each towel in a manner clearly shown in F ig. 2. These rods can be arranged to be removed in the same manner as the towel rods 9.

The operation will be readily understood. The towels are normally all concealed within the cabinet; and when it is desired to use a towel the lower end thereof is grasped through the open bottom of the cabinet and it is drawn down into the position, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thereby further winding -the springs in the spring rollers 14. The spring catches 16 hold the towel in this position so *long as it is in use, after which a slight pull on the correspionding chain 17 releases the catch 16, and the spring roller immediately acts to return the towel into the cabinet. The guide rods 19 will straighten, and to a certain extent, smooth the towel which has been more or less rumpled in use, so that it will be held in flat position within the cabinet and separated from adjacent towels, thus giving opportunity for air circulation. This permitsthe towel to dry, and prevents it from molding.

To remove the soiled towels and replace them with clean ones, the door 3 is opened, the rods 9 and 19 are removed, thereby releasing the towels, new towels are engaged with said rods, and the rods are then replaced.

It will be readily understood that while I have illustrated the cabinet as adapted to contain six towels, by changing its dimensions, it may be adaplted to either a greater or less number. Thus, it is possible to arrange more than three of the rollers 14k in each vertical series, and one or more of these series may be employed.

Various other changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts.

That I claim is z* 1. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a pair of arms or brackets secured within the upper portion of the casing, a spring roller journaled in said arms or brackets, other arms or brackets secured to the casing below the spring roller, a pair of vertical guide rods supported by the last named arms or brackets, a towel carrier arranged to slide freely on the guide rods, and a flexible connection between the towel carrier and the spring roller; substantially as described.

2. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a pair of arms or brackets secured within the upper port-ion of the casing, a spring roller journaled in said arms or brackets, other arms or brackets secured to the casing below the spring roller, a pair of Vertical guide rods supported by the last named arms or brackets, a towel carrier arranged to slide freely on the guide rods, a flexible connec-1 tion between the towel carrier and t-he spring roller, and means for temporarily holding the towel carrier in its lowest position against the action of its spring roller; sub stantially as described.

3. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a plurality of parallel horizontal arms or brackets secured within the upper portion of the casing, a plurality of spring rollers journaled in said arms or brackets in different vertical planes, a plurality of Vertical guide rods arranged in pairs, one in front of another, a towel carrier arranged to slide freely on each pair of said rods, a flexible connection between each towel carrier and one of the spring rollers, and means for temporarily holding any one of the towel carriers in its lowest position against the action ofits spring roller; substantially as described.

L1. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a plurality of parallel horizontal arms or brackets secured within the upper portion of the casing, a plurality of spring rollers ournaled in said arms or brackets in different vertical planes, a plurality of vertical guide rods arranged in pairs, one in front of another, a towel carrier arranged to slide freely on each pair of said rods, a'leXible connection between each towel carrier and one of the spring rollers, and means for temporarily holding any one of the towel carriers in its lowest position against the action of its spring roller, together with combined guide and stop members arranged transversely of the cabinet below the lowest position occupied by the towel carriers and arranged to engage in the loops of the towels on said carriers, said members and the carriers forming means for normally holding the towels stretched between them within the cabinet, under the action of the spring rollers; substantially as described.

5. In a towel cabinet, the combination with vertical guide rods, of a towel carrier arranged to slide vertically on said rods, said carrier consisting of a transverse bail-shaped In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set bar having apertures at lts ends or engage- I my hand. ment with the guide rods7 and a towel rod supported in the offset end portions of the ROBERT T' PARISEN' .-'z bar, and capable of having one of its ends Witnesses:

disengaged for the insertion and removal of GEO. H. PARMELEE,

u fovvel; substantially as described. H. M. CORWIN. 

